


Your Light Remains

by RileyCoyote



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Feel-good, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:47:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28379475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RileyCoyote/pseuds/RileyCoyote
Summary: In the long hours of the nightWhen hope has abandoned me,I will see the stars and knowYour Light remains.⸺ Trials 1:2 (Chant of Light)Dorian and Mathias (Male Trevelyan Inquisitor) romance. Slow burn? with lots of affection moments. Meant to be happy/feel good with a sprinkle of (mild) angst.
Relationships: Cassandra Pentaghast/Cullen Rutherford, Dorian Pavus/Male Trevelyan, Dorian Pavus/Trevelyan, Inquisitor/Dorian Pavus, Male Inquisitor/Dorian Pavus
Kudos: 1





	Your Light Remains

It isn’t much fun running through sand and dust of the Hissing Wastes in the smoldering dry desert heat. But, unfortunately for Mathias, Josephine had made a promise to an Orlesian noble that the inquisition would bring them enough wyvern scales to outfit their guard. That is why, despite the sweat and bruises, Cassandra, Varric, Dorian, and the inquisitor find themselves in the Wastes, actively searching out enough of these beasts to satisfy the requisition. Only Cassandra seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself— Mathias thought to himself that if he didn’t know any better, he’d say she _enjoys_ killing. The small team made their way to a shaded and rocky place, perfect for a big creature like a wyvern to hide. 

“I’ll go on ahead. If I see something, you will know.” Cassandra declared, unsheathing her sword and readying her shield. 

“Alright.” Varric responded with a drawl, rolling his eyes towards Mathias. The inquisitor pretended not to notice, but he couldn’t help a half smirk. Despite Varric and Mathias being close friends, he couldn’t share Varric’s disdain for Cassandra. In fact, he marveled at her as she forged on ahead. Mathias mused that she was a force of nature. He contemplated how different she was on the field. Here, she was self-assured, fiercely independent. Yet, when they had spoken by the fire in the quiet hours of the evening in Skyhold a few days before, she was so still, almost demure. Almost. Mathias thought with a smile. 

“Does Cassandra have an admirer?” Dorian nudged Mathias’ shoulder playfully, shaking him from his thoughts.

“Jealous?” He responded in an equally light-hearted way. 

“Not in the slightest!” Dorian flashed him a smug smile. “I’m positive that when you close your eyes at night, I’m the only one you see.” Mathias barked out an incredulous laugh at his outrageous confidence, while Varric sighed in exasperation. 

Mathias drew his horse toward a tree with a small pond nearby and tied her securely. He expected danger ahead and wanted to keep her safe. He patted her neck firmly, cooing, “good girl,” as he pointed to draw her attention to the water, “drink.”

Just then, they heard Cassandra shout and bang her shield. Mathias looked to Varric and Dorian, who were already set to run. He turned heel and sprinted to find Cassandra engaged with a Wyvern emerging from a rocky crag. The four of them made relatively quick work of the creature. Varric’s crossbow pierced it from afar and Dorian’s magical assault left it vulnerable to Mathias and Cassandra’s relentless onslaught of sword and shield. With the battle won, Varric and Dorian paused for water while Cassandra and Mathias got to work skinning the creature for its scales.

“Anyone know how to make Wyvern soup?” Dorian cheekily asked the group. Mathias looked up at him, mid-cut, and shook his head. “Thinking of dinner already, Dorian? We only had lunch an hour ago.” Dorian gave a cocked smile and went over to poke Mathias’s arm. “Never too early to think about dinner.” He quipped. Finishing his work, Mathias packed up the scales into a pouch and threw them at Dorian. He feigned incredulousness for a moment before slinging the securing the bag over his shoulder. They continued on in this way, searching for wyverns and attempting to take them down before anyone could get hurt. As the sun reached its highest peak, they passed under a narrow passage in the dusty cliffs. Mathias emerged last to rejoin the group, he blinked up at the piercingly bright sun. Half-blinded, he heard a dusty thud as something massive hit the ground. Before he knew what he was doing, he had placed himself between the thing and Dorian, unsheathing his blade. Finally he saw the large wyvern that dropped down on them from a rock above. Noticing his disorientation, Cassandra banged on her shield to goad the creature towards her. As predicted, the creature lunged for her. Mathias steeled himself and they all began the fight anew. This wyvern was by far the largest, and was likely the alpha finally caught onto the group’s hunting efforts. 

“Move, Mathias!” Dorian shouted from somewhere behind him. Without thinking, Mathias hit the ground and rolled briefly before settling into a crouch. Just as he looked up, Dorian sent a powerful strike of lightning magic towards the beast, sending a shock-wave through its scales. Cassandra took the advantage to pierce the wyvern’s neck, and with a primal screech, it finally stopped, dead. Feeling thoroughly battered by the beast, the group decided to seek out shelter and shade for the rest of the afternoon. Mathias rolled his shoulders and prodded for injuries before skinning their kill.

***

They came to a little cave by an absent merchant’s stall. Exploring it a bit, they decided it was safe enough to camp. Varric was the first to unroll his bedroll. While Mathias left to search for firewood, Cassandra and Dorian gathered what food they had and prepared them for cooking. When Mathias returned, he dropped the wood into the fire pit, and gestured expectantly at Dorian. The mage smirked and set his cooking knife down, reached his hand forward and ignited a small piece at the bottom of the pile with his magic. 

The evening started easily. Varric opened a bottle of rum and passed it around the fire. Cassandra started telling us a story about her childhood with the mortalitasi, but everyone was soon throwing in tales about their lives. Varric was by far the best storyteller, and the group often let him go on for hours before he insisted someone else have a turn. All the while, the modest wyvern stew was bubbling over the fire. When it was ready, Dorian took his first bite and declared, ““it tastes...gamey. Somehow dusty? And am I detecting the taste of metal?” But the more rum they drank, the better it tasted. 

“I’m looking forward to having a good meal back at Skyhold. Preferably something Josephine requested from the kitchens.” Varric mused out loud.

“The woman does indeed have impeccable taste.” Dorian agreed, drunkenly brandishing his spoon. Cassandra and Mathias lightheartedly chuckled at him. The strain of the day was beginning to catch up to them, their eyes dry from the desert air and limbs sore from fighting. Each relaxed into themselves after eating. A few hours had passed since they arrived in the cave, and perhaps predictably, thought Mathias, Cassandra and Varric were bickering yet again. His head was starting to spin from too much rum and the heat of the day, so Mathias stood up, muttering something about night air, and stumbled away from the warmth of the fire. He walked past the curious Mabari hound who dutifully kept the merchant’s stall occupied. The cave opened up to a vast unending sky, littered with stars. It was cold and Mathias instinctively reached for his flask. The wind began hollowing hard from the north, so Mathias wedged himself between a crevice in the rock to block the chill. As he settled in, he saw a lantern light approaching. 

“Inquisitor?” It was Dorian.

“I’m in here.” Mathias said, letting the mage find him by his voice. Dorian appeared at the mouth of the crevice, and moved in close to shield himself alongside Mathias. He stared the inquisitor down, asking an unasked question with his expressive eyebrows.

“After a long day in the Hissing Wastes,” Mathias said, taking another swig from his flask, “the last thing I wanted to hear was shouting over who-said-what-when.” Dorian chuckled, and reached for the inquisitor’s flask.

“Do they ever stop?” Dorian said, letting out a sigh. Mathias laughed dryly, shaking his head. “If the day comes, Trevinter and the Qun will declare unending friendship and nugs will start walking on their hind legs.” Dorian sputtered the sip of liquor he had taken, but held his composure enough to swallow. 

“ _Inquisitor.”_ Dorian chastised him. Mathias smiled and tilted his head back, trying not to laugh. He ran his fingers through his yellow hair in an effort to settle himself. When he looked back at Dorian, he was looking at him with mirth in his eyes. Mathias felt a twinge of something stirring in his stomach as he looked back into Dorian’s silvery eyes. He decided, a little hastily, to look away. Dorian just studied the ground smiling before looking back up at the endless sky before him. Mathias couldn’t help look at him while he wasn’t watching. He realised that he thought Dorian was handsome as he scanned his golden skin, his deep set eyes and his wide mouth and full lips all in profile, lit by the light of the moon. He closed his eyes and shook the thoughts from his head. He reached for his flask, but placing it on his lips he found it empty.

“I guess Cassandra and Varric’s squabbling has gotten to me more than I thought.” He said, making a show of the flask’s emptiness by turning it upside down. “Or maybe it’s the Wastes. These blightest _wastes._ ” Dorian countered. “Either way, I don’t blame you. I must admit to having drank my fair share tonight.” His brows furrowed. 

“What’s wrong, Dorian?” The inquisitor asked, his voice low and laced with concern. Dorian turned his body to face him more fully. They were close, Mathias could see their breath in the cold air meeting in the middle. When Dorian rested his head on the rock and faced him, he suddenly felt desperate to close the gap between them. 

“It’s nothing really,” Dorian gestured to brush the thought away with both hands, “probably just the strange desert night getting to me.” He smiled at Mathias. “Or it's the drink.”

“Dorian…” Mathias pressed. The mage’s face took on a serious, sad expression. “Alright. You got me. I want to ask you a question.”

“I’m not sure I like the sound of that.” Mathias teased, but nodded. “Of course, Dorian.” He said softly.

“Today, when that Wyvern dropped down on us. You couldn’t see, you had no idea what we faced.” Mathias nodded encouragingly. “Why… did you jump in front of me?” Mathias knotted his brows at the question, he was surprised. In truth, he did not remember doing that. 

“I’m sorry, Dorian. I didn’t mean it as a testament to your abilities. I know full well that you can handle yourself.” 

“Oh, I never thought my abilities were in question, Inquisitor.” He bragged playfully. 

“Mathias is fine, Dorian.” The mage looked at him coyly for a moment. “Alright, _Mathias,_ why did you do it then?” Dorian smirked, glancing down at Mathias’ mouth. The glance and his flirtatious emphasis on his name made the inquisitor’s ears flash hot. He ran his fingers through his hair to try and compose himself. He and Dorian had always had this kind of banter, but it suddenly felt different with the two of them alone. The Tevinter was holding his gaze intently, and the silvery gray of his eyes seemed to catch the lantern light in a dance of light on dark.

“Maybe a part of me… doesn’t want to live in a world without Dorian Pavus.” Mathias smirked, trying to match his coyness. Dorian narrowed his eyes, allowing them to trail on Mathias’ mouth again for a moment before looking away. He laughed to himself, and Mathias marveled at his profile against the moonlight as before. 

“Aren’t you a charmer?” Dorian deflected effortlessly. But Mathias saw something change in his features, perhaps a hint of insecurity in that subtle moment of hesitation?

“Well,” Dorian said, dislodging himself from the rock. He was pulling away when Mathias caught his arm and pulled him back further into the crevice. He came willingly, wearing his signature smirk. He placed a hand on Mathias’ waist as they got closer, in part to allow himself to push away if he wanted to. The inquisitor pushed his nose against the mage’s and glanced down at his mouth. When he flickered his eyes back up, Dorian was staring back at his own. Tentatively, Mathias placed a hand on the back of the mage’s neck and pulled him in closer. When they finally met each other's lips, Mathias felt his heart drop into his stomach. He hadn’t realised how badly he wanted this. Maybe they wanted to resist, but in a moment they were wrapped up in eachother, liberally peppering warm kisses on one another. When they breathlessly separated, Dorian had his eyes closed, relishing the feeling, and wore a satisfied smile. 

“For what it’s worth,” the Tevinter mage began, “I wouldn’t want to live in a world without Mathias Trevelyan, either.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think!


End file.
